Window guide



Oct. 20, 1942. C. P SCHLEGEL 2,299,598

wINDow GUIDE Filed Jan. 26, 1940 mmmmumll f INVENTOR. CZQrZGSZDSCZyeZ BY #WJ /,s ATTORNEYS Patented Oei. 20, 1942' WINDOW GUIDE Charles P. Schlegel, Rochester, N. Y., assigner to The Schlegel Manufacturing Company, Rochester, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application January 26, 1940, Serial No. 315,769

1 claim.

This invention relates to window guides or contour strips, and more particularly to a window guide and weather stripping adapted to be readily bent to conform to the curved window channel of an automobile.

An object of my invention is to provide a window guide or contour strip which is inexpensive to fabricate.

Another object of my invention is to provide a window guide or contour strip which is simple in construction and efficient in operation.

A further object of my invention is to provide a window guide or contour strip which may be readily bent to conform to the curvature of an automobile window channel.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be particularly pointed out in the claim, and will be apparent from the following description, when taken in connection with the following drawing, in which:

Fig. l is a view showing a portion of an automobile window with the garnish molding removed and showing one of the contour strips in position;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken through the window frame. showing the window channel and the contour strips in position;

Fig. 3 is a plan view showing the metal filler of my novel contour strip;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a view of the contour strip with the textile weather stripping in position on the metal strip;

Fig. 6 is a view taken substantially on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 'l is a View taken substantially on the line 'l--l of Fig. 5;

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 5 showing a modified form of my invention;

Fig. 9 is a view taken substantially on the line 9-9 of Fis. 8;

Fig. 10 is a view cf another modified formnof my invention, and

Fig. l1 is a view taken substantially II-Ii of Fig. 10.

As shown in Figs. l and 2 the contour strips, generally indicated by the numeral I l, are adapted to be mounted in the channel or rabbet I2 of the window frame Il of an automobile. The window channel or rabbet of the window frame is dened by two metal surfaces Il and I6 disposed perpendicular to each other and the metal surface I8 of a garnish molding I9. The three metal surfaces Il, I6 and Il define a shallow channel extending around three sides of the winon the line dow in a manner well known in the art to which this invention applies.

In its preferred form the contour strip comprises an elongated strip 2l of flexible sheet metal lying generally in a plane but formed with transversely extending corrugations, as shown more clearly in Figs. 3 and 4. The metal is of thin sheet material so that it may be readily bent and flexed particularly in a direction such as to spread apart the corrugations along the upper edge 22 and bring together the corrugations along the lower edge 23, in a somewhat fanwise fashion. The metal is sufficiently flexible so that when the contour strip is applied to the window channel it may be readily bent in a fanwise fashion to conform to the curvature of the channel, one of the curved corners thereof being illustrated at 24 in Fig. 1.

Along the lower edge f 23 of the corrugated metal strip on both sides thereof and preferably at the apex of each of the corrugations, there is provided a burr or projection 26. These burrs or projections appear more clearly in Figs. 3 and 6, and provide anchoring means along one longitudinal edge of the metal strip. For the purpose of providing a cushiony surface for the window and a weather stripping therefor, the corrugated metal strip 2i ls substantially enveloped or sheathed in a casing, generally indicated by the numeral 2l. The sheathing 21 is preferably of a soft pliable material, such as a layer of flexible woven textile fabric, preferably having means forming one or more cushioning and weather stripping pads thereon. Preferably the strip of fabric which forms the sheathing 21 carries on one surface thereof a pile 28 incorporated in the fabric in a manner well known in the art to which this invention applies. The pile 28 is formed on the fabric so that the pile and fabric are preferably an integral strip.

Asshown in Fig. 6 the strip is folded between its longitudinal edges 29, preferably substantially along a center line, and extended over the upper edge 22 of the corrugated metal strip 2i. The fabric strip extends down along the sides of the metal strip so as substantially to envelop or sheath the same and terminate adjacent the lower edge of the metal strip. Preferably the fabric strip is slightly more than twice as wide as the metal strip so that in the finished contour strip the longitudinal edges of the fabric strip extend slightly below the longitudinal edge of the metal strip, and its anchoring projections 26.

Means are provided for fastening the longitudinal edges of the fabric strip to the metal strip. Such means may comprise a preferably pliable metal bead 3| of tubular shape which has its spaced longitudinal edges 32 clamped against the fabric and lodged behind the burrs or projections 23. The fabric is drawn tightly down along both sides of the metal strip and portions thereof adjacent the longitudinal edges are confined along the lower edge of the metal strip by the bead 3|. Since the bead 3| is not rigidly secured to the metal strip 2|, the lower edge 23 of the metal strip may be contracted or the corrugations pushed together along this lower edge while the corrugations along the upper edge 22 are spread apart. Moreover, the metal of the bead 3| is sufficiently flexible or pliable so that it may be readily bent to conform to the curvature of the window channel, as shown :at '33 in Fig. 1. Due to the fact that the bead is contracted and lodged behind the burrs or projections 26, the bead is unlikely to become disen- V gaged from its desired position.

As shown in Fig. 2, two contour strips are provided, one on each side of the window pane. In order to apply the contour strips to the metallic -surfaces forming the window channel, staples may be provided at spaced intervals along the contour strips. The staples 34 have their tangs extended through the corrugated metal strips 2| and through the fabric layers 21 on opposite sides of the metal strips. The tangs also extend through the sides I4 and I8 forming two of the walls of the channel. The ends of the tangs may be bent so as to clinch the staples and hold the contour strips in position. As well known in the art to which this invention pertains, the tangs are applied and clinched by a special tool not necessary to be shown or described herein.

The contour strips thus described are inexpensive to fabricate and may be applied to the channel very rapidly by the special tools mentioned above. The contour strips are suflciently flexible that they may be readily bent by hand or by special tools to. conform the strips to the curvature of the window channel.

' In Figs. 8 and 9.1 have illustrated a modified form of my invention in which there is substituted for the corrugated metal strip 2|, a serpentine strip 36 formed of wire. The wire strip is flexible or pliable so that it may be readily bent in a similar manner to the contour l strip described above. The fabric carrying the pile surface may be clinched along its longitudinal edges and held in position against the metal strip by a bead in a similar manner to that described above.

In Figs. 10 and 11 I have illustrated another modified form of my invention in which there is substituted for the corrugated strip of metal, a strip of wire mesh 31. The strip of wire mesh may be bent so as to contract the lower edge 3l and expand the upper edge 39. The individual crisscross wires are not secured together, but instead are free tol slip with respect to each other so that the contour strip may be readily bent to conform to the curvature of a Window channel. As in the preferred form of my invention the fabric carrying the pile is held in position along its lower longitudinal edges preferably by a bead which serves to clamp the edges of the fabric against the lower edge of the wire screen strip.

While I have shown and described the preferred forms of my invention, it will be understood that various modifications and changes may be made, particularly in the form and relation of parts, without departing from the spirit of my invention as set forth in the appended claim.

I claim:

A substantially flat contour strip for supporting and cushioning one side of a window glass comprising an elongated, flexible sheet metal strip lying generally in a plane but formed with transversely extending corrugations by means of which the longitudinal edges of said strip may be extended or contracted in length so that said strip may be readily bent into a groove in said plane, the ends of the projecting corrugations on both sides of one longitudinal edge of said strip being bent outwardly to provide projecting anchoring means, a strip of fabric folded around and enclosing the other longitudinal edge of said metal strip with the longitudinal edges of said fabric strip extending to and overlying said anchoring means so as to enclose and sheath said metal strip, said fabric strip being provided on one side of said contour strip with a supporting and cushioning portion, and a sheet metal fastening and finishing bead of substantially tubular shape having its longitudinal edges embracing and clamping said fabric edges and anchoring means for securing said fabric edges together and to said metal strip and ornamentally finishing said strip.

CHARLES P. SCHLEGEL.' 

